Surely there are other run-down, neglected properties around town — and we need your help finding them.

It’s an important issue. More than half of Houston residents rent, and some live in properties owned by out-of-state landlords, as we documented last fall when city officials closed down the Carter’s Grove apartments for some appalling conditions.

We’re planning more reporting on this topic, from examining city policies, staffing for proactive inspections and the numbers of building-code citations issued over the years.

To get started, we need names. Please send me a (confidential) e-mail if you’ve seen any problem properties around town. Or leave the name in the comments. Thanks in advance for your help.

21 Responses

Maybe the Chronicle could also set up a tip line for this sort of thing?

If the city isn’t going to do its job in code enforcement at these slums (a story in itself, really), then I think it’s great that the Chronicle may take more of an active role in helping to get these slums cleaned up.

There’s no good reason in our affluent city for people to be forced to live in that kind of squalor. I lived in a few *ahem* low-rent apartments here going to grad school, but I never saw the sorts of things you documented. It’s disturbing.

Serrano apartments, near West Oaks Mall have dead animals in the pools, falling/leaning down gates, open apartments with wet ceilings hanging down, grass knee high, and residents have complained of non-working ac, appliances, and no hot water. There are homeless living underneath the stairs, and if you walk in the complex, there are rats out in the open.

Westhill Plaza Apts. 3001 Hilcroft in between Westheimer and Richmond. On a daily basis different sectors of the complex has sewage and feces floating around the parking lot, walkways/sidewalks, and around shrubbery that leads to and up to numerous tenants units. There is a constant smell and I see children playing in and around the water. There is no working or functioning entrance or exit gates. They also tow cars at random simply based on anyones request without a proper procedure in place.

Huntwick Apartments near the intersection of FM 1960 and Wunderlich Rd. Balconies have collapsed, lots of overgrown vegetation, the paint is peeling, there is obviously a total lack of maintenance. A large tree split in half on their property adjacent to Coral Gables Dr., and after the dead half lay on the ground (in plain view) for over 6 months, a crew finally cut it into smaller pieces, which then lay in the same spot for another 6 months. What an eyesore!

Most of the complexes near the intersection of West Belfort and Fondren. Also the complex at the intersection of Fondren and West Airport where one building burned and it stood like that for over a year.

I think of several in SW Houston. 1) S. Post Oak between W.Bellfort and Willowbend. 2) S. Post Oak at Benning Dr. 3) Anything on S. Willow Dr. or Gasmer. The one on S. Post Oak “refurbished”. They splashed this god awful orange paint all on the part facing the street.

The Princeton Club apartments on Memorial near Dairy Ashford has vacant apartments that are still full of rotting garbage (and maggots and roaches)months after they are vacated. There are squatters living there too since about half the apartments are vacant. I lived there for almost a year, and was robbed 4 times not counting the bike that was stolen after I left it outside my front door for a few moments to go inside for a drink.

What about the complex at Dunlavy and W. Alabama across from the Fiesta? There are always cars in the lot, and occasionally lights on in some of the rooms – it’s unclear if it’s completely vacant, and if so, it’s not secured at all.

Every apartment complex on either side of Briar Forest between the Beltway and Kirkwood. They are run down, falling apart, gang graffiti, and the source of 90% of the heavy crime in the area. They are full of criminals, even the elementary students are cited on a weekly basis for graffiti, thefts, and vandalism. Please tear them down as soon as possible and let the residents and businesses lead their peaceable lives.

I was going to say that complex by Fiesta on Dunlavy too – looks abaondoned because windows are broken out, but there are alway cars parked there so I have always wondered. It’s in bad shape.

There’s a complex by the North Freeway that just got painted a horrid bright green color (actually, several bright green colors, looks like they meant to match but they don’t).

Another place that may have got torn down during I 10 construction, but from the freeway looked horrible. I think they were called Skylane or something like that – advertised weekly rental prices on their signs.

They have an infestation of bats and insects and the landlord caulked them inside of the buildings and there’s no escape except for coming into the apartments themselves. There’s dead ducks all over the property and the cats are attempting to eat them, and nats/insects from some sort that are accumulating from the lake where there’s dead fish.

The graffito sprayed apartments on the corner of Richey & Jackson streets in Pasadena are LOADED with ILLEGAL ALIENS and as a result have been causing the whole area to be run down! Very Blightfull & Very Unpleasant to the surrounding community! Chronicle why don’t you folks start here?

All of the apartments N or S of briar forest between beltway 8 and kirkwood definately suffer from lack of up keep and code violations. There is heavy crime in the area due to the low rental standards of these apartments. something must be done!

Check out the Kiam Apartments, located at 5323 Kiam St. in Cottage Grove. This is just off of TC Jester, 5 blocks north of I-10. It is truly one of the worst apartments I have ever seen – termite, roach and rat infested, sorely needing maintenance, etc.

It is amazing to me that no one has previously outed Vo for this. If this had come up in his campaigns, I seriously doubt he would have been elected. Under what business name does he run his rental properties?

While absolutely no justification for how all of these complexes are operated, it is a very sad fact that these are the only places these people can afford to live. When the repairs are made and rents increase, where will they go?

The apartments at 7461 Gulf Fwy at 3300 Auburn across the street from Bloodline Tattoos are beat down real bad. Not the apartments next door at 7527 Gulf Fwy which seem to be OK from the outside anyway. They also deal drugs in the parking lot on Auburn.

The real story is how the City simply ignores so many of its own ordinances. The second and bigger story is how home owners are ripped of by the Appraisal Review Board giving preferential tax treatment to commercial property owners by imposing ridiculous property appraisals. The recent deal for the soccer stadium is a perfect point. The land is being bought by the City from an owner at multiples of its HCAD value. But if you ask HCAD, the chances are that you will find the owners protested their original valuation and got the ARB to lower the number. The ARB does not defend home owners. It is an unaccountable body that favors sophisticated property owners..for whatever reason.

Back to the City:

If a home owner stores trash in their front yard, they can count on getting a ticket in short order. If a non-residential property stores trash in its front yard, the City will not do anything. The heavy trash inspectors tell you that. Calling 311 to report unsightly or hazardous conditions on commercial property is a waste of time.